| Season | Team | Receivers active on game day
| Record | PPG/offense | | 2007 | SEA | 4 | 5-4 | 17.8 | | 2007 | SEA | 5 | 5-2 | 28.3 |
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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Seahawks are carrying only four healthy receivers on their 53-man roster, a problem that will almost surely impact the passing game early in the season.
Seattle would prefer to keep five receivers active on game days. The table might show why. The Seahawks' offense scored 10.5 additional points per game when the team kept a fifth receiver active for games last season (based on information available in official NFL gamebooks). I can't prove there's correlation here, but the team did average more than two additional passing first downs per game with the extra receiver available.
The table excludes points scored on returns (interception, fumble, kickoff, punt). The Seahawks kept four receivers active for each of their first seven games, according to the gamebooks. They also kept four receivers active for late-season games against Carolina and Baltimore.
Bobby Engram could miss the first two or three games. Deion Branch could also miss the opener and beyond, depending on how his knee responds to practice. Ben Obomanu's season-ending injury hurt overall depth. Obomanu hadn't done much during the exhibition games, but the team liked what he was doing in practice. He finished last season with 12 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown, and he could return punts.
Michael Bumpus is on the practice squad, but the Seahawks might need to emphasize the run early. Their ground game appears much improved. The team also has better receiving options at running back and tight end.
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
